Hopper-actuating mechanism for filling-replenishing looms



A ril 20, 1926. 1,581,597

ca. POIRRIER HOPPERACTUATING MECHANISM FOR FILLING RBPLENISHING LOOKS Filed NOV. 27, 1925 ji TQR YL.

Patented Apr. 20, 1926 UNITED STATES PATENT oFricE.

GEORGE IPOIBRIER, OF GROSVENOR DALE, GONNEC'IIGUTi, ASSIGNOR TO DRAPER COR- PORATION, OF HOPEDALE, MASSACHUSETTS, A CORPORATION OF MAINE.

HOPPER-ACTUATING MECHANISM FOR FILLING-REPLENISHING LOOMS.

Application filed November '27, 1925. Serial No. 71,546.

To cZZ whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, Gnonen POIRRIER, a' citizen of the United States, and a resident of Grosvenor Dale, inthe county of Vindham and State of Connecticut, have invented an Improvement in Hopper-Actuating Mechanism for Filling-Replenishing Looms, of which the following description, in connection with the accompanying drawings, is a specification, like characters on the drawings representing like parts.

This invention relates to filling replenishing looms and is more particularly directed to the hopper actuating mechanism for such looms, whereby a fresh filling carrier is brought to the point of transfer after each replenishing operation.

Filling replenishing looms are now usually provided with a rotary hopper in which are supported a number. of filling carriers or bobbins having a supply of filling wound thereon, and such hopper is given a rotative movement after each replenishing operation to bring a fresh filling carrier to transfer ring position. As the fresh filling carrier comes into position for transfer, the head of the carrier usually strikes upon a guide or abutment, and of course the rotation of the hopper is thereby arrested. Should the hopper rotating or feeding means tend to force further rotative movement of the hopper after the bobbin is in replenishing position, the head of the bobbin is liable to be injured, or some other part of the train of mechanism may be broken.

It is therefore one of the purposes of the present invention to provide a hopper feed mechanism which will act yieldingly to effect rotative movement of the hopper and at the conclusion of the yielding action, act positively to insure that the filling carrier has been brought to proper transferring position.

The present invention is of the general character of that shown and described in the patent to Henry Lussier, No. 1,322,032, November 18, 1919, and is directed to certain further developments and improvements on the mechanism therein shown and described. In accordance with the present invention, the transferrer has mounted for rocking movement thereon a pin, the head of which has a transverse opening through which excapable, nevertheless, of longitudinal movement therein, the effect being that after the feed pawl has been engaged with the next tooth. of the ratchet, in the general manner described in the Lussier patent, the upward movement of the transferrer will cause the pawl to turn the hopper to bring the next bobbin into transferring position, and after the bobbin has engaged the abutment at the transferring position, the feed pawl will become stationary, or substantially so, While the transferrer continues to rise to its full inoperative or upper position. It may sometimes happen that the rotatable hopper does not fully respond to the yielding feed movement of the feed pawl as the transferrer moves upwardly, and to insure that the filling carrier is in full proper transferring position, the feed pawl, in accordance with y the present invention, is provided with a shoulder or projection above the head of the- V rocking pin, which is engaged by the head as the transferrer finally reaches its upper inoperative position.

The invention and new combination of parts will best be made clear from the following description and the accompanying drawings of one good form thereof.

In the drawings:

Fig. 1 is a perspective view showing sufticient portions of a hopper and the feed mechanism of the present invention to make clear the construction and mode of operation;

Fig. 2 is an end view of the hopper and transferring mechanism, some of the parts being-shown in section; and

Fig. 3 is an enlarged detail showing the rocking pin and feed pawl construction.

The loom frame has mounted thereon, as usual, the stand 1 from which rises the stationary head 2 of a rotatable hopper which comprises the head portion 3 having recesses t in which the heads of the filling carriers 5 may be held as the rotatable head 3 is rotated. The rear portion of the hopper stand has the flange 6 which maintains the heads of the bobbins 5 in the rotary head of the hopper as the bobbins are brought towards transferring position, and if desired a yielding guide 7, Fig. 2, may be mounted adjacent transferring position to yield downwardly during transfer of a bobbin from the hopper to the shuttle.

Mounted upon the loom frame is the arm 8 from which extends rearwardly an abutment 9 which may be conveniently formed as part of the bobbin guide 10 between whose rear face and the yielding guide 7 is formed the throat or passageway 11, as usual.

The lay 12 is provided with the usual shuttle box 13 to receive the shuttle 14, as indicated in Fig. 2, and both the shuttle and shuttle box have the usual bottom openings to permit the bobbin that is to be ejected from the shuttle to pass downwardly therefrom.

Mounted on the hopper stand 1 is the stud or dead shaft 15 on which is mounted the hub 16 of the transferrer 17 which has a head portion 18 for engagement with the head of the bobbin during transfer, and in the present instance, the transferrer head 18 has extending laterally therefrom the usual bobbin tip engaging member 19, Fig. 1. Extending downwardly from the transferrer 17 is the operative arm 20 to which is pivoted at 21 the dog 22 which is adapted to be engaged by a hunter 23 mounted upon the lay 12 when filling replenishment is to be effected. The transferrer 17 is nor: mally held in its upward or inoperative position by a spring 24:. The parts so far described are of usual construction and operate in the usual manner now common in filling replenishing looms.

In accordance with the present invention, the transferrer 17 is provided with a bear ing 25 for a rocker or rocking pin 26, and preferably the bearing is extended laterally from the transferrer 17, as indicated at 27. The rocker or pin 26 is held in the bearing of the transferrer by means of a sleeve 28 which is connected to the rocker or pin 26 by means of a cotter pin 29, best shown in Fig. 3.

The pin or rocker 26 carries a head 30 at the side of the transferrer 17, and the head is provided with an opening 31 which is arranged transversely to the axis of the pin 26. The feed pawl 32 is adapted to engage the teeth 33 of a ratchet connected to the rotatable hopper and, as shown, the feed pawl 32 is provided with a downwardly extending shank portion 3a which passes through the opening 31 in the head of the locking pin, the construction being such that the pawl 32 may have longitudinal movement in the opening or head 30, but is prevented from rotative movement therein preferably by forming the pin 31 and the shank of the pawl of non-circular contour.

The head 30 may be provided with frictional material 35 and an adjustable closure bolt 36 which may bear upon the packing or frictional material 35 to impart to the pawl suflicient frictional resistance to movement in the head of the pin to effect rotative movement of the hopper as the transferrer rises after a transfer.

The natural tendency of the rotatable hopper is to move about its supporting axis due to the weight of the filling carriers at the back of the hopper, so that the frictional retardation afforded to the movement of the pawl shank in the head of the pin would be sufficient usually to carry the next filling carrier into replenishing position. Should the filling carrier, however, not fully reach transferring position as the transferrer moves upwardly, means are )rovided to insure such position of the filing carrier, by providing the feed pawl with the shoulder or projection 37 above the opening 31 in the head, which will be engaged by the head when the transferrer is in its full upward inoperative position.

Reference has been made to the longitudinal movement of the feed pawl in the head of the pin, and it will be noted that the shank 3 l of the feed pawl extends downwardly below the head, so that when the transferrer moves downwardly to effect the transfer, the lower end of the shank 3 will strike the abutment 9 and arrest the downward movement of the feed pawl, while the transferrer continues downwardly. When the transferrer starts upwardly, it will, through the frictional resistance between the feed pawl and the head of the rocking pin, effect upward movement of the feed pawl, which has clicked over the teeth of the ratchet on downwardmovement of the transferrer, and has consequently engaged another tooth. As the transferrer rises thereafter, the feed pawl 32 will rotate the hopper by the frictional resistance between the shank of the feed pawl and the head of the rocking pin 26, until, when the bobbin has been brought to transferring position and its head strikes the abutment 10, the hopper will be arrested, thereby stopping the movement of the feed pawl as the transferrer moves upwardly from its transferring position. hen the transferrer reaches its full upper inoperative position, it is desirable that the next filling carrier to be transferred shall be fully in transferring position, and therefore as the transferrer reaches its full upper position, the head 30 of the rocking pin 26 will engage the projection or shoulder 35 on the feed pawl and insure proper position of the filling carrier for transfer.

In order to maintain the pawl in operative engagement with the teeth of the ratchet, a spring 38 is wound upon the rocking pin 26, as indicated in Fig. 3, one end of the spring being attached to the transferrer 17, as at 39, and the other being secured to the collar 28 which is itself adjustably secured to the end of the pin 26 by the cotter pin 29, as hereinbefore described.

From the construction described, it will be apparent that when the transferrer moves downwardly to effect a transfer, the lower end of the shank 3a of the feed pawl will strike the abutment 9 and arrest further downward movement of the feed pawl, and when the transferrer moves upwardly, the feed pawl will rise with it at once and turn the hopper until the head of the next filling carrier engages the fixed bobbin guide, whereupon, on continued upward movement of the transferrer, the feed pawl will re main stationary and slide through the opening in the head 30. Should, however, some obstruction be presented to the movement of the hopper as the transferrer moves upwardly, the transferrer will, as it reaches upper position, engage the shoulder 37 of the feed pawl and insure proper position of the bobbin for transfer.

It is desirable in some cases to provide the shank of the feed pawl with adjusting means to adapt the improvement to looms employing different sized bobbins or bobbins having varying sized heads, and to this end the lower end of the shank 34: is provided with an adjusting screw 40, as indicated in Fig. 3.

What is claimed is:

1. In a filling replenishing loom, the combination of a rotatable hopper, -a ratchet rotatable therewith, a transferrer for dis charging filling carriers from the hopper, a rocker mounted for rocking movement on the transferrer and having an opening extending transversely of the axis of the rocker, a feed pawl having a shank extending through said opening with relation to which it may slide lengthwise, means be tween the rocker and feed pawl to prevent turning movement of the feed pawl in the opening of the rocker, a spring action upon the rocker and normally tending to turn the rocker to maintain the feed pawl in engagement with the ratchet, and means for imparting feed movement to the pawl by upward movement of the transferrer.

2. In a filling replenishing loom, the combination of a rotatable hopper having a ratchet, a transferrer, a pin mounted for rocking movement on the transferrer and having a non-circular opening, a feed pawl having a non-circular shank extending through said opening and acting to maintain the feed pawl in position for engagement with the ratchet, means normally tending to hold the feed pawl yieldingly in engagement with the ratchet during operation of the transferrer, and means for imparting feed movement to the pawl by upward movement of the transferrer.

3. In a filling replenishing loom, the combination of a rotatable hopper having a feed ratchet, a transferrer, a pin mounted for rocking movement on the transferrer, and having a head provided with a noncircular opening, a feed pawl having a noncircular shank extending through said opening, a spring normally acting to hold the feed pawl in engagement with the ratchet and means for imparting feed movement of the feed pawl by upward movement of the transferrer.

i. In a filling replenishing loom, the combination of a rotatable hopper having a feed ratchet, a transferrer, a pin mounted for,

rocking movement on the transferrer and having a head provided with a non-circular opemng, a feed pawl having a non-circular shank extending through said opening and provided with a projection above the opening for engagement by the said head on upward movement of the transferrer to insure feed movement of the hopper.

5. In a filling replenishing loom, the combination of a rotatable hopper having a feed ratchet, a transferrer, a rocking pin mounted on the transferrer provided with a head having an opening therethrough, a feed pawl mounted in said opening for movement lengthwise therein and havin a shank extending downwardly from the head for engagement by an abutment on down ward movement of the transferrer, a friction bearing between the head and feed pawl to retard too free movement of said pawl, and a shoulder on the feed pawl above the said opening for engagement by the head as the transferrer rises to its final upper position.

6. In a filling replenishing loom, the combination of a rotatable hopper having a ratchet, a transferrer, a pin mounted for rocking movement on the transferrer and having a head provided with an opening transversely of its axis, a feed pawl having a shank mounted for sliding movement in said opening and provided with means for varying the effective length of the shank, an abutment for engagement by the shank on downward movement of the transferrer to slide the shankin the head opening of the rocking pin, and means for causing upward movement of the transferrer to effect feed movement of the feed pawl.

In testimony whereof, I have signed my name to this specification.

111s GEORGE X POIRRIER.

mark 

